Historians fear MLK's legacy being lost

Associated Press by Deepti Hajela | Jan. 21, 2008 (Special Report)

Nearly 40 years after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., some say his legacy is being frozen in a moment in time that ignores the full complexity of the man and his message.

"Everyone knows -- even the smallest kid knows about Martin Luther King -- can say his most famous moment was that 'I have a dream' speech," said Henry Louis Taylor Jr., professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Buffalo. "No one can go ... Full Story »

Posted by Juliet Sallette

See All Reviews »

View

4.5

by Joel Kulenkamp - Oct. 1, 2008

I already read this story in the St. Paul (MN) Pioneer Press. As one who is old enough to remember when Dr. King was still alive--I was eleven years old when he was assassinated--I found this report a real eye-opener for more recent generations who weren't fully aware of how he got attacked from all sides of the political spectrum (including many of his fellow activists!). The quote by Princeton history professor Melissa Harris-Lacewell says it all: "Following King meant following the unpopular road, not the popular one."